The Mujinazaka players often held practice matches with Shiratorizawa, but Shiratorizawa had three Wing Spikers, so Kawanishi rarely got to play. Even when he did, he usually copied Ushijima and Reon's styles from before. It looked decent enough, but it was still fairly ordinary.
"Bang!"
Kawanishi once again tried to force the ball through a double block, and once again, it got touched.
Only then did he get a clear sense of Mujinazaka's strength.
Mujinazaka's double block really was impressive. With their 1.9-meter height, flexible thinking, and solid physiques, ordinary spikes truly would not get very far against them.
Then he had no choice but to change his approach.
Another ball flew toward Kawanishi. He sighed helplessly. Shirabu setting to him this often was not necessarily a good thing. He felt like the other side had already started focusing on him. Was that kid using him on purpose to draw their attention?
No one needed to remind them. The two opposing middle blockers already knew exactly who the ball was going to.
Facing the double block, Kawanishi jumped, his wrist lightly guiding the ball. Even his spiking form looked completely different from before.
"...Is Kawanishi starting that again?"
Eita Semi's mouth twitched as he muttered in disbelief.
Here it came. Kawanishi and that infuriating style of his had arrived.
Eita Semi was genuinely worried that after this match, Kawanishi might get surrounded and beaten up by the Mujinazaka players.
Now that he had roughly figured out the other side's patterns, Kawanishi was ready to go all out with this ball.
When he had first substituted in for Reon, he had wondered whether using such a crafty, opportunistic style in a match like this would embarrass Shiratorizawa.
But he quickly thought it through. He felt that Coach Washijō must have tacitly approved of this way of playing. Otherwise, Coach Washijō would definitely have warned him when he was subbed in. But Coach Washijō had not said a single word. Everything was understood without needing to be said.
The volleyball flew toward Kawanishi, and Nozomu Mami and Usuri both jumped to block.
Only then did Kawanishi realize that Mujinazaka seemed to rely almost entirely on double blocks. Single blocks were actually quite rare.
In a situation like this, one of the two was bound to be a little less sharp and easier to fool.
Amused by his own sudden wandering thoughts, Kawanishi refocused on the volleyball. How should he hit this ball to score? He had to break the deadlock.
Kawanishi pretended to swing his arm back. Only after seeing the two of them jump did he jump himself, creating a clever timing difference.
But to Mujinazaka, things like this were nothing unusual.
After landing, Usuri did not take an approach. He jumped straight up from the spot to block. Nozomu Mami had just been about to tell him not to rush in, only to turn and see that he was already in the air. For a moment, he was speechless. This guy's body always reacted one step faster than his brain. It was like his brain and body belonged to different people.
Kawanishi bent his arm, then pulled his hand back as if preparing to spike. Usuri straightened his arms, ready to block.
The players on both sides also began shifting their formations, already preparing for the next rally.
Kawanishi faked a spike, then used the hand he had drawn back to drop the ball just beneath Usuri's blocking hands. The volleyball floated lightly along the net and fell to the floor without making a sound.
"Beep----------"
The whistle blew to signal the point. Wakatsu Kiryū's eyebrows twitched. He had a bad feeling about this.
The Mujinazaka players froze completely, as if they had never expected someone from Shiratorizawa to dare play such a flashy, soft shot. Was he seriously not afraid of being chewed out by Coach Washijō? Brother, respect. You are a brave man.
In that instant, the way everyone from Mujinazaka looked at Kawanishi was filled with admiration.
Kawanishi had no idea why they were staring at him like that and returned to his position in confusion.
"Nice one, Senpai Kawanishi."
Ryosuke gave Kawanishi a thumbs-up. With Senpai Kawanishi here, they had gained another scoring option.
Michiko Kuzuri raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding that play. That ball just now had looked extremely half-hearted, but it had still scored. Had Shiratorizawa really developed to this point?
That ball had looked like a vertical net spike, but it was different from a traditional net spike. There had been no weight behind it at all. It was one move layered over another. First, he tricked Nozomu Mami and Usuri with a timing shift. Usuri was impulsive, so he took the bait immediately. Then, when Usuri went up to block, Kawanishi bluffed again with a fake spike, pretending it would be a heavy hit. Right as he was about to make contact with the ball, he suddenly pulled back all that force and gently pressed it down.
A smooth little sequence like that would be hard for even the spiker himself to pull off without repeated practice. His brain might not keep up with his body, never mind someone as hot-blooded and reckless as Usuri.
Michiko held her head, starting to feel a headache coming on. This had become troublesome. It was not just a question of brains. What did that play prove? The fact that he dared to use it meant Washijō had tacitly approved it. And this kid had been acting from the very beginning, deliberately testing their strength. Michiko did not believe for a second that they had come unprepared.
Michiko was still hesitating over whether to call a timeout and make adjustments when the whistle had already sounded.
Nozomu Mami and Usuri were busy adjusting their positions and had not even had time to exchange a few words.
Thanks to the unpredictable factor that was Kawanishi, Shiratorizawa successfully broke the deadlock. Whether they could take this set would depend on how well everyone worked together.
After rotating into the number one position, Kawanishi successfully earned himself a chance to serve.
Standing at the service line, Kawanishi weighed how he should serve this ball to threaten the other side.
"Beep------------"
The whistle sounded. Kawanishi glanced at the opposing Libero, then immediately decided not to serve in his direction.
Haruma Bishin gave Kawanishi the same feeling as a second Yamagata. No matter how he served, the ball would just end up going nowhere. It was enough to experience that feeling of being shut down during regular team practice. There was no need to put himself through it in an actual match.
"Shiratorizawa's newly substituted powerhouse, Kawanishi, has taken a beautiful point. This style of attack doesn't look much like Shiratorizawa's usual style."
Oda Kijirō still could not resist commenting on it. That earlier scene had made his eyes widen too. Sure enough, if you lived long enough, you really could see anything. To think that one day, a style like this would appear in a steel-like team such as Shiratorizawa.
"After taking that point, Kawanishi has stepped up to the service line. He didn't choose to aim for the opposing Libero. Instead, he's serving at Mujinazaka's middle blocker, Usuri!"
Usuri saw the volleyball coming straight for his face and froze on the spot for a moment, unable to react quickly.
"I've got it!"
Nozomu Mami cursed inwardly. What was with this new guy from Shiratorizawa? How could he be so underhanded? Usuri's floor defense and first pass were not very good, so Ushijima and the others never targeted him with their serves. He had not expected Kawanishi to come in and immediately go after Usuri. It was a direct strike at his weak point.
A quick explanation here: Ushijima and the others only serve at the Libero out of habit. After all, during team practice, they always serve at Yamagata because it is more challenging.
Nozomu Mami grabbed Usuri and switched positions with him. The volleyball was moving so fast that Nozomu Mami only had time to get into position.
Then the ball slammed right into him.
"Bang!"
Nozomu Mami had not even managed to brace for the impact before the volleyball smashed into his arms and bounced away.
"Cover it!"
Nozomu Mami shouted at Keisuke Unnan at the top of his lungs.
Keisuke Unnan naturally did not need the reminder. He was already chasing after the ball.
"A very instructive serve! Kawanishi's serve has completely disrupted the first pass!"
Only after the commentator said that did everyone suddenly realize that Kawanishi's serve was actually the normal way to serve in a real match, or the way coaches usually taught.
They had simply watched too many matches between powerhouse players. That was why such an ordinary, basic serve suddenly looked so unusual at first glance.
Sometimes, the word "ordinary" also meant stable performance.
Keisuke felt like he had pushed himself to his absolute top speed. His legs were practically smoking.
He jumped into the air and sent a long, flat, quick set toward Wakatsu Kiryū. Kiryū was currently in position three, and judging from the ball's path, there was no doubt he would be the one to spike.
Seeing that, Wakatsu Kiryū jumped straight up to spike. Tendo and Kawanishi moved in to block, only to block empty air.
Tendo thought he had made a blocking mistake, then realized it was not that he had missed the block. Wakatsu Kiryū had not spiked at all.
This is bad!
At that moment, the other Wing Spiker, Naoharu Ezota, who had barely made his presence felt the entire match, quietly jumped out from behind Wakatsu Kiryū and spiked the ball as part of a rotation attack.
But the point of attack was different. Naoharu Ezota spiked from near position two. Almost the instant Kiryū jumped, Naoharu Ezota jumped as well.
Ryosuke had originally been preparing to follow behind Tendo and block, but Kawanishi, who was one body length closer than him, had already moved in, so Ryosuke stopped. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw someone else jump. Ryosuke instinctively wanted to turn and look toward Tendo, but realizing it might be too late, he jumped instead.
In this situation, either Tendo or Ryosuke was bound to block empty air. But it did not matter which one missed. One of them would definitely be in the right place.
Just like that, Ryosuke and Naoharu Ezota met at the net, and their eyes met.
When Naoharu Ezota saw Ryosuke jump, he aimed straight at his palms and spiked without the slightest hesitation.
Ryosuke saw Naoharu Ezota's arm swing rise high. At first, he thought it was a cross-court shot, but when he noticed that Naoharu Ezota's wrist had not turned, he understood. This was not a cross-court shot at all. It was clearly a line shot.
Naoharu Ezota's arm swing had simply been positioned to mislead the blocker's judgment.
Ryosuke did not fall for it. Instead, he held his arms firm, pressed his wrists down, and shut the ball down completely.
"Bang!"
"Beep---------"
The sound of the ball hitting the floor and the whistle signaling the point rang out one after the other.
Naoharu Ezota was a little stunned. He had thought that number six would be misled and block in the wrong direction. During practice matches, whenever he played from position two, he loved doing this, and it worked every time. He had not expected to run into a wall this time.
While Naoharu Ezota was acknowledging Ryosuke inwardly, Ryosuke was also acknowledging him. If his field of vision had not been so wide, he really might have been fooled. To hit a line shot that smoothly, Naoharu Ezota must have put in a lot of work during practice.
"Ahhh, Ryosuke, that was amazing!"
Tsutomu Goshiki had been so excited watching just now. He had thought Ryosuke would fall for it, only for Ryosuke to turn around and block the ball dead.
"Yes, yes, nicely done."
Tendo looked as if he were proud by association, wrapping an arm around Ryosuke's neck and ruffling his hair.
"What an excellent rally. Kawanishi serves, and Nozomu Mami on the other side receives it, but the first pass is unstable! The setter covers and sends the ball between positions three and two.
Wakatsu Kiryū is ready to spike, and the other side puts up a double block.
They block empty air! Mujinazaka's number four Wing Spiker, Naoharu Ezota, is the real attacker this time! A line shot! Shiratorizawa's Ryosuke scores with a solo block!"
"This is already Ryosuke's second blocking point in this set. It seems Shiratorizawa has produced another blocking core."
Ryosuke's play made a lot of people start paying attention to him.
At first, everyone had only wondered why Ryosuke was a starter as a first-year. Now, it seemed some things were not as simple as they had thought. If he could become a starter at a school like Shiratorizawa, there was no way his skill level could be lacking.
In the stands, Suna shed his lazy, almost-asleep look. He sat up straight with his hands in his pockets, watching Ryosuke with interest.
He and Ryosuke were both Block-type middle blockers. Sooner or later, they would meet on the court, and Suna was deeply curious about this opponent.
The score on the court had already reached 23-20.
If Mujinazaka did not catch up soon, this set would be over.
Michiko was a little worried for those kids, afraid their mentality might start to crumble. Of course, at a point like this near the end of the set, when the situation could still be turned around, Michiko would absolutely not call a timeout.
As captain, Wakatsu Kiryū naturally had the responsibility to lead and reassure everyone. If Michiko could think of it, then of course he could too.
He was about to turn around and comfort everyone, only to look back and see a blazing fire in their eyes. Every single one of them looked fired up and ready to fight.
Kiryū froze for a moment. This was different from what he had imagined. He had thought everyone would be as dispirited as they had been last time.
Haruma Bishin saw Kiryū's expression and immediately knew what he was thinking. He stepped forward and patted Kiryū on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. Everyone's mental toughness isn't that weak. Just play your game without holding back. I'll be guarding the back."
A Libero's promise was often the most reliable creed on a team. If they said it, they would make sure it happened.
Next, it was still Kawanishi's serve. Kawanishi truly could not believe he had been standing at the service line for this long.
"Beep-----------"
The serve whistle sounded again, and Kawanishi went for a powerful jump serve.
"Bang!"
The volleyball flew straight toward the middle of the court, no longer targeting anyone in particular.
Haruma Bishin made a diving receive and let out a sigh of relief. He finally had a chance to receive. He had barely had anything to do for this entire set. He wanted to receive too, but no one had given him the chance.
Either the ball died directly at the blocking stage, or it came in as a powerful jump serve like Kiryū's. Haruma Bishin was almost sick of receiving that kind of ball.
Keisuke Unnan saw the timing and set the ball. Wakatsu Kiryū and Naoharu Ezota ran one after the other.
One was in position two, and the other was in position four. Both positions offered good attacking odds, whether they went for a line shot or a cross-court shot.
Nozomu Mami and Usuri continued moving around at the net, protecting Kiryū and Naoharu Ezota's attack.
After making the first pass, Haruma Bishin was also ready to defend at any moment.
...
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